Born Again Christian; Biblical Fundamentalist, Received Text-KJV, Dispensational
Saturday, April 30, 2022
Friday, April 29, 2022
I cannot support the mainstream "right-libertarian\economy only conservative" agenda because God's Law matters.
The rightists in Canada and across the World are broken into three different factions. One group the one I am within is conservative across the board socially not just fiscally. The other two are fiscally conservative and amoral on social issues. Or the third one is the mainstream libertarians whom are for legalizing everything peaceful and separating all markets from any government intervention. Essentially; they are the Politics of supporting the Non Aggression or Coercion Principle which is a non starter in the real world.
In the real world Governments will always use Coercion that is what makes a government a government. That it is to use the sword to enforce legitimate laws; laws are coercive by nature. If you cannot coerce someone it is no law. It is a suggestion not a law. That is what God constituted Government for is to coerce those whom wish to break just laws into acting legally or punishing those that go ahead and break them. God created Government to bear the sword for a reason and that was not just against anything non voluntary. There are lots of voluntary agreements and actions that are peaceful quote un quote and yet need to be stopped.
That is because God intends his Governments to rule according to the general equity of His Laws as set out in Holy Scripture. Specifically using the general equity of the Ten Commandments and the Decalogue reiterated in The New Covenant/Testament. The Biblical Principle of General Equity means that the Decalogue is still the bases or supposed to be the bases of the Laws of the Nations on Earth. Which is at minimum the second table of the Ten Commandments and any laws that should exist due to those commandments. The Belgic Confession also includes enforcing the first table originally. Through making sure that nothing the Government does pushes anti Christian principles.
What all Historical Protestant Reformed confessions share in common, however, is the general equity of the second table of the Ten Commandments. This is why I cannot climb aboard either the amoral fiscal conservative train and especially not the libertarian train. Which commandments must be enforced? The following parts of the Decalogue at minimum should be behind all laws of The Nations;
- You shall not kill.
- You shall not commit adultery.
- You shall not steal.
- You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
- You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.
- You shall not covet your neighbor’s good
You shall not kill means any sort of removal of life outside of killing in self defense. This would include everything from needing to put something around areas that are of a height to prevent falling right to the obvious forms of killing. It also includes making criminal any feticide which we currently call Abortion. With the exclusion of when the life of the Mother is at risk. It would also include things like laws against distracted and drunk driving as the reasoning behind them is the general equity of not harming others. God also instituted the Death Penalty for murder following Noah's Flood and that is reiterated in the New Covenant. Which means actual murderers should be executed by The State for their crimes. Where this does not exist life imprisonment without parole will suffice.
You shall not commit adultery means removing the ability for no fault divorce. Instead working on keeping all marriages intact when there is no fault or proper reason for a divorce. It would mean removing sex ed from schools and the desexualization of our culture. It means that those that commit sex offenses get put too death ideally, but, life imprisonment in Countries without a death penalty. By sex offences I mean anyone that molests, rapes, et cetera or in any sexual way abuses someone. However, adultery according to Christ includes lusting. Which means any sexualization in ads and of course the sex industry itself should be outlawed. With ways for sex workers to go into a non sexual job. As well as outlawing public nudity and public sexual displays of any kind. It means making Marriage Biblical again, one man and one woman only. It means not using public funds to support things like Pride Events. As well as supporting the Biblical Family. Reversing the Gender Ideology Agenda.
You shall not steal means just that; that includes no stealing by the government itself. Including not tackling inflation and high unjust taxes. Wasting tax payers money and so on. Also, this backs Copyright and Intellectual Property Laws.
You shall not bear false witness means no lying about them. So, this would include laws against defamation and slander. It would mean that there needs to be beyond a reasonable doubt evidence in the courts.
You shall not covet would include all laws pertaining to theft. It would also include divorcing your wife or husband for the purpose of marrying someone else's now ex wife or husband. As that is coveting someone's spouse. It would also include things like destruction of others property.
As you can see Governments actually following God's Laws for Nations would not be libertarian, nor would they be fiscally conservative while ignoring social issues. Only a consistent Christian Theological Conservatism truly represents God's Law to the world and that is what we are to vote in favor of. So, wherever possible Christians should vote for laws compatible with God's Law. This is not an endorsement of "the Theonomy Movement," which states we should go back to Mosaic Punishments for breaking the Mosaic law. However, it is a reminder that God's Law should define the Laws of the Nations.
Thursday, April 28, 2022
Sacred Chased Singleness or Holy Matrimony are the only Moral alternatives for those in God's Image
We live in a hyper sexualized world in which ones lusts are given supremacy over all else. To the point we even classify people into groups based on what kind of lust you have. Using terms like homosexual, heterosexual, bisexual, pansexual and so on. This is not part of God's Creation order nor Ordinance. The Word of God as found in Holy Scripture is very clear and detailed.
We are not to identify with our Sins produced by our Total Depravity as Post Eden human beings. All lusts no matter the target gender is a form of adultery according to Our Lord's Sermon on the Mount. Adultery is a very serious issue and not to be taken lightly. It is not what defines us as Human Beings, but, instead being made in God's likeness and image is. Which means we are to as Scripture says to be Holy as Our Heavenly Father is Holy.
The creation ordinance is very simple, but, the sinful nature rebels against it wanting autonomy. Boys grow up to be Men. Men protect and provide for others and themselves. They are to leave their Family and ideally find a Woman to be their help mate or just mate. Then those two are to become one flesh in a lifelong union called Marriage. In which they are to be fruitful and multiply the Human Kind within a lifelong Family. Girls grow up to be women whom are protected by the men around them. (Men mistreating women vs protecting them is a result of the Fall into Total Depravity in the Garden of Eden.) They are to find a mate amongst the men around them and they too get married. Becoming one flesh with the man in lifelong marriage.
However, what there is no allowance for within the Creation ordinance is sexual interaction outside of becoming one flesh for life. This was set down prior to the fall. As it is instructed to us as Adam and Eve being the first marriage with bearing children to follow. However, the relationship was ruined when Adam forsake his protective role letting Eve be deceived by Satan and then refusing to maintain order in the relationship by also eating the fruit of the tree. This means you have two options sexually as a human being in God's eyes. Either being in Chased (maintaining sexual purity and virginity) Sacred Singleness or God providing you with a member of the opposite sex to court then marry.
What humans are not to do is to identify with their lusts and identify as a label based on them. Instead we are to mortify the flesh and die to sin. Which means that fill in the blank sexuality is not a legitimate way of identifying. Sexual sin like all sin is not to be embraced, but, fought against. I would not go around saying I identify as a thief because I was have feelings of covetousness. Likewise as all sexuality outside of marriage as defined in Scripture is adultery one should not identify as their sin. The problem in society with sexual sin goes way beyond the acceptance of deviant sexual identities. It is basing your identity on your lusts to begin with. Yes, Sodomy is an issue, but, so is heterosexual activity outside of marriage.
We need to go deeper than just calling out the sin of identifying with SSA and acting on it. No one should be identifying with any form of sexual attraction as their core identity. As that is making a sin you are fighting namely lust your identity irregardless of the target of your lust. We need to get serious about sexual sin and its horrific nature not just with regards to those trapped in the LGBTQ community. We need to get serious about the Creation Rules for sexual activity period. Including the horrors of things like hating virginity, pornography, sensuality in ads and the list could go on and on.
Wednesday, April 27, 2022
Tuesday, April 26, 2022
Monday, April 25, 2022
Sunday, April 24, 2022
Saturday, April 23, 2022
Friday, April 22, 2022
Thursday, April 21, 2022
Wednesday, April 20, 2022
Tuesday, April 19, 2022
Monday, April 18, 2022
Sunday, April 17, 2022
Saturday, April 16, 2022
Friday, April 15, 2022
Thursday, April 14, 2022
Wednesday, April 13, 2022
Tuesday, April 12, 2022
You cannot mix Christ and Baal
Some people seem to think you can mix Pagan practices with Christianity and it is alright. This is incorrect as The Word constantly points out what pagans do spiritually is done to Devils. You cannot mix New Age or New Thought and unbiblical thinking with Biblical truths. You are either coming to die to yourself and take up the cross of Christ or do not come at all. What dies in the self includes any idols and thus any association with non Christian practices or thinking. We are to be the Body of Christ and The Temple of The Lord. You cannot mix Christianity with anything of The World or World System. Other than to call out The World for their total depravity and need to repent/believe in The Lord.
“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,”
The difference between fundamentalism and legalism
In this is article I explain the differences between fundamentalism and legalism.
Fundamentalism, for the purpose of this article, is a movement within the church that holds to the essentials of the Christian faith. In modern times the word fundamentalist is often used in a derogatory sense.
The Fundamentalist movement has its roots in Princeton Theological Seminary because of its association with graduates from that institution. Two wealthy church laymen commissioned ninety-seven conservative church leaders from all over the Western world to write 12 volumes on the basic tenets of the Christian faith. They then published these writings and distributed over 300,000 copies free of charge to ministers and others involved in church leadership. The books were entitled The Fundamentals, and they are still in print today as a two-volume set.
Fundamentalism was formalized in the late 19th century and early 20th century by conservative Christians—John Nelson Darby, Dwight L. Moody, B. B. Warfield, J. Gresham Machen and others—who were concerned that moral values were being eroded by modernism—a belief that human beings (rather than God) create, improve, and reshape their environment with the aid of scientific knowledge, technology and practical experimentation. In addition to fighting the influence of modernism, the church was struggling with the German higher criticism movement, which sought to deny the inerrancy of Scripture.
Fundamentalism is built on five tenets of the Christian faith, although there is much more to the movement than adherence to these tenets:
1) The Bible is literally true. Associated with this tenet is the belief that the Bible is inerrant, that is, without error and free from all contradictions.
2) The virgin birth and deity of Christ. Fundamentalists believe that Jesus was born of the virgin Mary and conceived by the Holy Spirit and that He was and is the Son of God, fully human and fully divine.
3) The substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ on the cross. Fundamentalism teaches that salvation is obtained only through God’s grace and human faith in Christ’s crucifixion for the sins of mankind.
4) The bodily resurrection of Jesus. On the third day after His crucifixion, Jesus rose from the grave and now sits at the right hand of God the Father.
5) The authenticity of Jesus’ miracles as recorded in Scripture and the literal, pre-millennial second coming of Christ to earth.
Other points of doctrine held by Fundamentalists are that Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible.
There are multiple streams of fundamentalism. I am in the stream that disagrees with Dispensational Theology and its' form of premillenialism. However, those that belong to the Dispensational stream are no less Fundamentalist and we hold to the same Fundamental Orthodox Christian Doctrines. We are all Brothers and Sisters in Christ and will be in Heaven together.
The Fundamentalist movement has often embraced a certain militancy for truth, and this led to some infighting. Many new denominations and fellowships appeared, as people left their churches in the name of doctrinal purity. One of the defining characteristics of Fundamentalism has been to see itself as the guardian of God's Biblical Truth. At that time of the rise of Fundamentalism, the world was embracing liberalism, modernism, and Darwinism, and the church itself was being invaded by false teachers. Fundamentalism was a reaction against the loss of biblical teaching.
The movement took a severe hit in 1925 by liberal press coverage of the legendary Scopes trial. Although Fundamentalists won the case, they were mocked publicly. Afterwards, Fundamentalism began to splinter and refocus. The most prominent and vocal group in the USA has been the Christian Right. This group of self-described Fundamentalists has been more involved in political movements than most other religious groups. By the 1990s, groups such as the Christian Coalition and Family Research Council have influenced politics and cultural issues.
Like all movements, Fundamentalism has enjoyed both successes and failures. The greatest failure may be in allowing Fundamentalism’s detractors define what it means to be a Fundamentalist. As a result, many people today see Fundamentalists as radical, extremists who want to establish a state religion and force their beliefs on everyone else. This is far from the truth. Fundamentalists seek to guard the truth of Scripture and defend the Christian faith, which was “once for all entrusted to the saints” (Jude 1:3).
The church today is struggling in the postmodern, secular culture and needs people who are not ashamed to proclaim the gospel of Christ. Truth does not change, and adherence to the fundamental principles of doctrine is needful. These principles are the bedrock upon which Christianity stands, and, as Jesus taught, the house built upon the Rock will weather any storm (Matthew 7:24-25).
The word "legalism" does not occur in the Bible. It is a term Christians use to describe a doctrinal position emphasizing a system of rules and regulations for achieving both salvation and spiritual growth. Doctrinally, it is a position essentially opposed to grace. Those who hold a legalistic position often fail to see the real purpose for law, especially the purpose of the Old Testament law of Moses, which is to be our "schoolmaster" or "tutor" to bring us to Christ (Galatians 3:24).
Even true believers can be legalistic. We are instructed, rather, to be gracious to one another: "Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters" (Romans 14:1). Sadly, there are those who feel so strongly about non-essential doctrines that they will not even allow the expression of another viewpoint among fellow believers. That, too, is legalism.
The apostle Paul warns us of legalism in Colossians 2:20-23: "Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence." Legalists may appear to be righteous and spiritual, but legalism ultimately fails to accomplish God's purposes because it is an outward performance instead of an inward change.
To avoid falling into the trap of legalism, we can start by holding fast to the words of the apostle John, "For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17) and remembering to be gracious, especially to our brothers and sisters in Christ. "Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand" (Romans 14:4). "You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat" (Romans 14:10).
A word of caution is necessary here. While we need to be gracious to one another and tolerant of disagreement over disputable matters, we cannot accept heresy. We are exhorted to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints (Jude 3). If we remember these guidelines and apply them in love and mercy, we will be safe from both legalism and heresy. "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1).
Monday, April 11, 2022
Why I fully embrace being A Reformed Fundamentalist
Does that sound like an oxymoron to you? That should not be so. I am Reformed and 110 Grade Calvinist. I am so because Calvinism/Reformed Theology is The Gospel as presented in The Bible. The Canons of Dortecht and its proceeding articles on Unconditional Election, Total Depravity, Limited or Definite Atonement, Irrisistible Grace or Effectual Calling and Preservation of the Saints are all taught straight from the Bible.
This does not mean one is not Saved if they are not Reformed as we do not get saved by being Reformed we get saved as Reformed Theology teaches through God's unconditional election to salvation. Which happens all the time to non Reformed Christians. However, the Reformed Theology is the correct one 110%. The Non-Calvinist can be saved just as much as the Calvinist despite Calvinism being the
natural outworking of The Biblical Truths.
I am also a Fundamentalist as I am totally opposed to Modernism and False Gospels of liberal theology. I refuse to compromise on the fundamentals of true Christianity. Fundamentalism as I am using the term is a 20th-century anti-modern/liberal orthodox Christian movement. This definition is drawn from the history of the movement, from its inception in the early part of the 20th-century until the present. Though many fundamentalists also hold other beliefs such as King James Only or believer’s baptism, I do not include those beliefs here, for that would exclude men such as John R. Rice (not KJV Only) and J. Gresham Machen (Presbyterian), both recognized leaders of fundamentalism.
To understand fundamentalism one must first understand its opponent: theological liberalism or modernism. The core of liberalism is its reliance on experience over doctrine. Thus the liberal will maintain that the Bible is not necessarily true doctrine but merely information about people’s experience with God. A liberal will appeal to the individual experience of a Christian as the basis of authority. The power of liberalism comes from its use of Christian language with a new definition. Since they reject the objective truth and rely on experience, then words such as ‘salvation,’ ‘Christ,’ and ‘resurrection’ are not taken from the Bible but redefined in a subjective or modern sense. This new definition is formed using modern principles of criticism, science, and philosophy. Thus liberalism is an experience-based theology, that rejects the inerrancy of Scripture in favor of subject personal relationships and modern scientific methods. Though some would define it differently, to do so would reject the writings and arguments of the vast majority of fundamentalists over the past century.
To understand fundamentalism is to place it in its proper context, namely 20th-century America. Fundamentalism’s anti-modernist nature necessitates that there exist modernism for it to oppose. Thus before the late 1800s and early 1900s fundamentalism could not exist because liberalism did not exist, at least not as a movement or theology. To attempt to find fundamentalism in the centuries prior is impossible, though you may find individual aspects of it, such as doctrinal purity or separatism. Only when Christianity was mixed with modern methods of science, history, and theology would there be a need for a group to oppose it. This is the movement we call fundamentalism.
The most basic aspect of fundamentalism is its adherence to the inerrancy of Scripture. This can be defined as a belief in the inspiration of the Scriptures by God that completely rules out any possible error in the transmission, so that what the writers penned on paper was completely true: doctrinally, historically, and scientifically. This view is not a strictly fundamentalist view, as other conservative denomination and groups have also ascribed to it, but it is an essential part of its doctrine. Along with the inspiration of Scripture, fundamentalist hold to four other doctrines, collectively entitled “The Five Fundamentals of the Faith:”
1) Inerrancy of Scriptures
2) Virgin Birth
3) Christ’s Substitutionary Atonement
4) Christ’s Bodily Resurrection
5) The Second Coming of Christ
While many individual would hold more than these, no fundamentalist could hold less. For instance, dispensationalism would later become a hallmark of fundamentalism, but was rejected by J. Gresham Machen, leader of Presbyterian Fundamentalism, and Williams Jennings Bryan, who fought evolution in the Scopes Monkey Trial.
The guiding principle in fundamentalist thought is that the inerrant Bible is foundational to knowledge, and that modernism, with its accompanying ideas of subjectivism, Darwinism and higher criticism, is to be rejected.
The final mark of fundamentalism is its willingness to separate from liberalism. This was evidenced in various leaders of the movement: Machen left Princeton and founded Westminster Theological Seminary, J. Frank Norris left (or was kicked out) of the Southern Baptist Convention, John R. Rice separated from the Southern Baptist Convention and then later from Billy Graham when he associated with liberals. While these men did not categorize these groups as liberal, they believed that they were tolerant of such, and thus separated to defend doctrinal purity.
As J. Gresham Machen put it so well, "if the disjunction is between "Fundamentalism" and "Modernism," then I am willing to call myself a Fundamentalist of the most pronounced type."
Confessions of a J. Gresham Machen fundamentalist
I confess I am a Christian Fundamentalist in the spirit of the great historic Christian heritage of the Fundamentalist vs Modernism/Liberalism split. That caused the creation of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and other Historical Biblical Christian denominational splits from the fundamentals denying Modernism movement.
However, I am a J. Gresham Machen Fundamentalist, and not in the stream of the Independent Fundamental Baptists. I belong to the Covanental and Contanental Reformed stream of fundamentalism which is Amillenial in eschatology/End times views. As well as differing on matters of which version of The Bible is acceptable from the KJV Only view
Fundamentalism, for the purpose of this article, is a movement within the church that holds to the essentials of the Christian faith. In modern times the word fundamentalist is often used in a derogatory sense.
The Fundamentalist movement has its roots in Princeton Theological Seminary because of its association with graduates from that institution. Two wealthy church laymen commissioned ninety-seven conservative church leaders from all over the Western world to write 12 volumes on the basic tenets of the Christian faith. They then published these writings and distributed over 300,000 copies free of charge to ministers and others involved in church leadership. The books were entitled The Fundamentals, and they are still in print today as a two-volume set.
Fundamentalism was formalized in the late 19th century and early 20th century by conservative Christians—John Nelson Darby, Dwight L. Moody, B. B. Warfield, J. Gresham Machen and others—who were concerned that moral values were being eroded by modernism—a belief that human beings (rather than God) create, improve, and reshape their environment with the aid of scientific knowledge, technology and practical experimentation. In addition to fighting the influence of modernism, the church was struggling with the German higher criticism movement, which sought to deny the inerrancy of Scripture.
Fundamentalism is built on five tenets of the Christian faith, although there is much more to the movement than adherence to these tenets:
1) The Bible is literally true. Associated with this tenet is the belief that the Bible is inerrant, that is, without error and free from all contradictions.
2) The virgin birth and deity of Christ. Fundamentalists believe that Jesus was born of the virgin Mary and conceived by the Holy Spirit and that He was and is the Son of God, fully human and fully divine.
3) The substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ on the cross. Fundamentalism teaches that salvation is obtained only through God’s grace and human faith in Christ’s crucifixion for the sins of mankind.
4) The bodily resurrection of Jesus. On the third day after His crucifixion, Jesus rose from the grave and now sits at the right hand of God the Father.
5) The authenticity of Jesus’ miracles as recorded in Scripture and the literal, pre-millennial second coming of Christ to earth.
Other points of doctrine held by Fundamentalists are that Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible. There are multiple streams of fundamentalism. I am in the stream that disagrees with Dispensational Theology and its' form of premillenialism. However, those that belong to the Dispensational stream are no less Fundamentalist and we hold to the same Fundamental Orthodox Christian Doctrines. We are all Brothers and Sisters in Christ and will be in Heaven together.
The Fundamentalist movement has often embraced a certain militancy for truth, and this led to some infighting. Many new denominations and fellowships appeared, as people left their churches in the name of doctrinal purity. One of the defining characteristics of Fundamentalism has been to see itself as the guardian of the truth, usually to the exclusion of others’ biblical interpretation. At that time of the rise of Fundamentalism, the world was embracing liberalism, modernism, and Darwinism, and the church itself was being invaded by false teachers. Fundamentalism was a reaction against the loss of biblical teaching.
The movement took a severe hit in 1925 by liberal press coverage of the legendary Scopes trial. Although Fundamentalists won the case, they were mocked publicly. Afterwards, Fundamentalism began to splinter and refocus. The most prominent and vocal group in the USA has been the Christian Right. This group of self-described Fundamentalists has been more involved in political movements than most other religious groups. By the 1990s, groups such as the Christian Coalition and Family Research Council have influenced politics and cultural issues.
Like all movements, Fundamentalism has enjoyed both successes and failures. The greatest failure may be in allowing Fundamentalism’s detractors define what it means to be a Fundamentalist. As a result, many people today see Fundamentalists as radical, extremists who want to establish a state religion and force their beliefs on everyone else. This is far from the truth. Fundamentalists seek to guard the truth of Scripture and defend the Christian faith, which was “once for all entrusted to the saints” (Jude 1:3).
The church today is struggling in the postmodern, secular culture and needs people who are not ashamed to proclaim the gospel of Christ. Truth does not change, and adherence to the fundamental principles of doctrine is needful. These principles are the bedrock upon which Christianity stands, and, as Jesus taught, the house built upon the Rock will weather any storm (Matthew 7:24-25).
Being a Reformed/Calvinistic Fundamentalist, I obviously disagree with the almost fanatical anti Calvinism of modern day groups like the Independent Fundamental Baptists. I also, however, acknowledge them and those like them as part of the Body of Christ as long as they are Truly Born Again believers.
I am Historically in the strain of fundamentalism and the Christian fundamentals. Reformed/Calvinism was always a huge part of the Fundamentalist split to begin with. The OPC, one of the first split off denominations was and is a Reformed denomination. The Fundamentalist movement has its Historical roots from fundamental Historical Canons of Dortrch Reformed Theology breaking off from Apostating falling away Modernism/liberal churches.
As explained by J. Gresham Machen in his own words below;
"In these days of widespread defection from the Christian faith, I rejoice with all my heart in the warmth of Christian fellowship that unites me with those who, like you, love the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and are willing to bear the reproach to which a frank acceptance of the gospel subjects them in the presence of a hostile world.
Thoroughly consistent Christianity, to my mind, is found only in the Reformed or Calvinistic Faith; and consistent Christianity, I think, is the Christianity easiest to defend. Hence I never call myself a "Fundamentalist." There is, indeed, no inherent objection to the term; and if the disjunction is between "Fundamentalism" and "Modernism," then I am willing to call myself a Fundamentalist of the most pronounced type. But after all, what I prefer to call myself is not a "Fundamentalist" but a "Calvinist" — that is, an adherent of the Reformed Faith. As such I regard myself as standing in the great central current of the Church's life — the current which flows down from the Word of God through Augustine and Calvin. I have the warmest sympathy with other evangelical churches, and a keen sense of agreement with them about those Christian convictions which are today being most insistently assailed.
That system of theology, that body of truth, which we find in the Bible, is the Reformed Faith, the Faith commonly called Calvinistic, which is set forth gloriously in the Confession and Catechisms.
We rejoice in the approximations to that body of truth which other systems of theology contain; we rejoice in our Christian fellowship with other evangelical churches; we hope that members of other churches, despite our Calvinism, may be willing to listen to what we may have to say. But we cannot consent to impoverish our message by setting forth less than what we find the Scriptures to contain; and we believe that we shall best serve our fellow-Christians, from whatever church they may come, if we set forth not some vague greatest common measure among various creeds, but that great historic Faith that has come through Augustin and Calvin. Glorious is the heritage of the Reformed Faith. God grant that it may go forth to new triumphs even in the present time of unbelief!"
Sunday, April 10, 2022
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